And amos e



@uiten faire @nicht @Him JOHN cures, 'or cnicAeo, iLLiNoIs, AND AMos n. HARPER, or GRAND- A c VILLE, MICHIGAN; i

Letters Patent IVO.. 60,837, dated January 1, 1867.

IMPROVEMENT IN GGNVBRTING RECIPROATING INTO yROTARY"lilIOTIObL (im Stigchrle nient iain tigese ita/iets ateut mit mitnimmt 'nfy the simu.

T0 ALL WIIOM I'l MAY CONCERN:

Be it known that we, JOHN CUPPS, of Chicago, in the county of Cook, and State of Illinois, and AMOS R. IIAnrnn, of G-randville, in the county of Kent, and State of Michigan, have invented an improved Device for Converting Reciprocating Motion'into Eqnable Continuous Rotary Motion; and wo do hereby7 declare that the i'oilowingis a full and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making part of this specificationv Figure 1 being a side elevation of an apparatus embodying our invention.

Figure 2, a view of a part detached.

Like letters designate'correspouding parts in both figures.

Let A A represent the standard or supports of any apparatus for producing reciprocating motion, and converting it into continuous rotary motion, and B a4 vibratory lever which represents the Working beam of a steam engine, or any equivalent intermediate device which receives the reciprocating motion. In the case represented, the beam B is moved by water supplied from a reservoir or head S, ,the water being let into the buckets T T, on the ends of beams, alternately, through valves or gates gg, opened at the upward stroke by a lif`ter,.h,I while at the down stroke a4 tilter,`z', strikes a stop, m, and empties the' bucket. Other arrangements for applying Water power may be devised, this being shown to indicate how all the water may be utilized Without fail or waste. But it is to be understood that the invention which we claim is applicable to many and various powers, whether by hand, by animal, or material. or artificial power. The reciprocating motion being communicated to the vibrator-y beam B, which is secured to a rock-shaft, C, let I he the shaft, and L a balancewheelfor a4 driver thereon, which are to receive the rotary motion for any purpose whatever. Upon the shaft C, of the beam B, we secure two circular rack-wheels, D E, one larger in diameter than the other, situated at a suitable distance from eachother, and each having asegmental rack; one, Zi, being ou the inner edge ofthe rimof the larger wheel, and the other, a, on the outer edge of the rim of the smaller wheel, substantially as represented. Each rack segment engages respectively with a pinionI on the shaft I of the'drivingfwheel; the rack arof the wheel E with the pinion G, and'therack Lof the wheel -D with the pinion H, as seen in fig. 2. These pinions are ofsu'ch a size. that one receives as many revolutions or as much motion from the re'ciproc-ations of its rack as the other; Both!4 pinions are loose on the shaft I, but are coupled alternately to it by means of couplings O P, which havanotches in their faces, abrupt in one direction and obliquein the other, and tit corresponding notches respectivelyinthe -faces Vof the pinionsM N. These couplings are prevented from tux-ningen the shaft by a vane, R, projecting longitudi' nally from one side of the shaft and entering notches in the eyels'ofithe couplings. This allowsthe couplings to slidel lengthwise Aon Vthe shaft I suiiiciently to couple the pinions toor uncouple them from the shaft. vA spring, Q, between4 the couplings keeps them spread apart and coupled to their respective pinions in the forward direction, butY yields and allows either pinion to have a free movement backward'around the shaft I. Thus arranged, when` Veither the rack-wheel D or E turns backward in relation to the motion of thedrivingshaft, I, its pinion disengages itself.l from its coupling and does not turn the shaft; but when the rack-wheel moves forward it turns'the shafty andthe driving-wheel. So both wheels D E only move the shaft and driving-wheel forward; and since they act alternately in immediate succession, it follows that the shaft I and the wheel L continually move forward; audio, since the rack-wheels produce uniform motion, the rotary motion produ-ced thereby is equable and constant, and .thereare no dead-points. In this and other respects it is much superior 4to cranks'and other devices for the purpose. Any stylcof clutch may be used instead of the notched couplings described; and different arrangements of these may be employed if desired, all that is essential being to couple and uncouple alternately as the directions of the reciprocating motion followeach other. Another set of racks, c d, on the other side of the wheels D E, may be used-to operate on another driving shaft' which would be mounted in the bearings and other rack-wheels might be used on the same shaft C,y and thus various motions and different-in speed maybe'pr duced from the reciprocations of one beam B, or its equivalent. The:` uses and adaptations of this invention are Vmany and various.` I i i Y What we claim as our invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is`

The `employment of two rack-wheels or segmental circular racks, in combination with' two pinions on the driving shaft, arranged so as to be coupled alternately thereto in such a manner as to produce continuous rotary motion in one direction, substantially as and foi: the purpose herein specified. I

- JOHN CUPPS,

AMOS R. HARPER. Witnesses:

P. R.4 LzjPnrncn, Tuo. C. Psmon. 

